Ternate - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

TERNATE 8
TOPOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL DESCRIPTIONS
Set close together where the road curves slightly at the entrance to the Chinese
camp are the open air markets, the civil soldiery’s warehouse, and the public works
department shed. A little further to the west is the simple but spacious Protestant church.
The pasar (market) is the liveliest part of the whole city, the meeting place of young and old
alike. Here small traders, fishermen, fruit and vegetable sellers and many others display
their wares, trying to exchange their tiny crops for cash, or bartering for products from the
surrounding islands.
In contrast to the monotonous surroundings, there is a hustle and bustle here that
continues throughout the day but is particularly marked in the morning hours. All manner
of people feel the need to relax from their labor (though the work is usually not very
strenuous) by taking a little refreshment with, as always, a bit of sago. The comfort-loving
native takes real pleasure in squatting next to the fruits of his labor, chewing pinang (areca
nut) or betel nut, and talking to prospective buyers. He does not recommend his wares at
all, though. Only when a fellow countryman launches into a wordy account of his latest
adventures does the seller show any enthusiasm. [p. 12] The buzzing sound which indicates
a public meeting place can be heard from far off. Once there, one can observe the natives
pursuing their harmless pleasures. These natives, who have few demands and pass up any
opportunity for change, are easily contented. A deeply-rooted commercial spirit can be
clearly discerned in their conversations with the people passing by their stalls. Four
Alfurus from Halmahera have volunteered to clean the pasar shed, and those who come by
regularly will gladly pay a few cents for the privilege of having a clean area for their wares.
The well-organized pasar functions without any government intervention.
How many races are to be found in such a small place! Here are the Makassarese,
who live mainly by fishing; over there is an Alfuru, 17 who has come from the Halmahera
coast opposite Ternate with sago pounded in a virgin forest; further away is the Ternatese
artisan with the products of his art; and elsewhere you may see a mountain-dweller with
produce from his fields or garden. Mixed among them are the descendants of the
Europeans and the Chinese, native Christians and Arabs, all haggling, arguing,
gesticulating—sometimes to be seen in calm conversation, then suddenly declaiming their
views in a burst of noisy speech. It is as though they are vying with one another to belie the
foreigner’s impression, derived from other circumstances, that behind their calm and
impassive visage there exists no passionate feeling. The very diversity of the people who
meet together here gives rise to tumult in this marketplace and endows it with its special
character.
We approach the Chinese camp. It consists of a main street with numerous lanes
leading to roads further up the mountainside. Five hundred Chinese live within this small
space. They have two honorary chiefs, a captain and a lieutenant. [p. 13] This quarter is
not very different from other quarters in the city; indeed, the Ternatese Chinese benefit
from the comparison since they take care to keep their area clean. Most of the inhabitants
are of Chinese descent, but there are no real Chinese women here. The people have
adopted many customs from the Indo-Europeans, and use the local Malay as their mother
tongue. A few can even carry on a conversation in Dutch reasonably well and are at ease in
17 [p. 12, n. 1] The Alfurus usually follow the Ternatese style of dress in the capital and can only
be recognized by their long hair and the shell wristlets they always wear.
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